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31/03/2015

Parents of obese children may not be able to recognise that their kid is overweight unless they are at very extreme levels of obesity, new research led by an Indian-origin scientist shows.

Moreover, the study published in the British Journal of General Practice found that parents are additionally more likely to underestimate their child's weight if they are Black or south Asian, from more deprived backgrounds or if their offspring is male.

"If parents are unable to accurately classify their own child's weight, they may not be willing or motivated to enact the changes to the child's environment that promote healthy weight maintenance," said senior author Dr. Sanjay Kinra, reader in clinical epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

The team from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and University College London (UCL) discovered that 31 percent of parents (915) underestimated whether their child's Body Mass Index (BMI) reading fell in overweight or obese category.

Highlighting this discrepancy, Kinra found that only four parents described their child as being very overweight despite 369 children being officially identified as very overweight according to the BMI cut-off.

"Measures that decrease the gap between parental perceptions of child weight status and obesity scales used by medical professionals may now be needed in order to help parents better understand the health risks associated with overweight and increase uptake of healthier lifestyles," said study co-author professor Russell Viner from UCL's institute of child health.

The identification of gaps between parental perceptions and official guidelines, and variations seen in different demographics of the population, may help us evaluate how effective public health interventions for obesity in children are going to be in different groups of the population, Kinra concluded. Read more here:formal evening dresses uk

23/03/2015

The World Health Organisation (WHO)'s first global report on suicide prevention is an alarming one. With approximately 800,000 persons dying from suicide globally every year, it means that there is one death every 40 seconds.

Back home, Thomas Johnson, founder of Aasra, a suicide prevention helpline, says, they receive 55 to 60 calls every day. More try to reach out through e-mails and social media. "One of every three suicides takes place in India, making us the suicide capital of the world." Their call volumes increase from December to July. This is the exam to result period when students are under immense pressure, says Thomas. Also, winter in general is another peak period.

Yet, there is little information available on suicide, while myths add to the confusion. We get experts to present facts and clarify misconceptions.

FACT

In developing nations, suicide is more prevalent than AIDS, cancer, and diabetes combined

Unbelievable, but true. Dr Ajit Dandekar, Consulting Psychiatrist at Nanavati Hospital blames it on our fast changing society. "Loneliness has increased. Most families are turning nuclear, which is further disintegrated with the spouse or children moving away for studies and jobs. Some families meet only over weekends or once a month," he says. And although we know many more people today, thanks to the reach of social media, we hardly have any emotional ties with them. "And this 'pseudo connect' with people lacks human interaction. We are losing the warmth, sharing and support required for social existence," adds Dr Dandekar. Stress is another contributing factor to the rising numbers of suicides and depression. "Everyone is part of a rat race,"says Dr Manoj Bhatawdekar, consulting psychiatrist at Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. "The self- esteem of a person is equated with the marks in exams or the financial position in society. There is a tremendous rise in materialism and little time devoted to self-development."

MYTH

Better paying jobs means more health and happiness Over the last few years, we have started to cater to an international clientele and most of us work long or odd hours. "This alters the bio rhythm and leads to changes in emotional patterns," explains Dr Dandekar. "We are imitating the West by consuming foods that are not meant to suit our bodies in these climatic conditions. All this harms the emotional health of an individual."

FACT Youth are prone to suicide The young and the restless is not a myth. It's the truth of our times. To add to this, over indulgence is becoming a part of our existence. "We don't take disappointment in good stride. We give children things even before they ask for it. Sharing isn't practised, they are used to separate TVs, toilets, telephones. This makes the young more ego centric and less accommodative. Parents bribe their children to make them do things without understanding ability," says Dr Dandekar.

According to Dr Bhatawdekar, "Besides, parents have become over aware and unduly concerned about the child's academic performance. They also feel guilty for not being able to spend enough time with their children."

MYTH Elders are more secure With rising cost of living, more and more elders are becoming financially very insecure. They are constantly worried if they can make do with limited sources. The empty nest syndrome is another cause of depression among them. "Most of them who are suffering from physical health issues often fear loneliness and suffering," says Thomas.

FACT Women are emotionally stronger than men The WHO report suggests that the ratio of men to women committing suicide is 2:1. "This is mainly because women don't internalise the problem. They are better communicators and often seek social and professional help. Men, on the other hand, tend to take refuge in alcohol, smoking, and playing cards rather than seeking professional help," says Dr Dandekar. In our society, boys are raised differently. Them crying is not accepted as manly. "They lack in communication skills. Besides, male ego is fragile, and is likely to be hurt more easily and more often," he says. That apart, as Dr Bhatawdekar points out, men tend to use lethal means of attempting suicides than women, which is also why the number of successfully committed suicides are more in men.

MYTH Barking dogs don't bite Suicide attempt is a plea for help. Acknowledge that behind every successful suicide, there have been several failed attempts. Never treat it as an attention seeking behaviour prima facie because even if it was hysterical behaviour, recognise that the victim requires professional help. "About 90 per cent of depression is curable through medicines, psychotherapy and electroconvulsive (shock) therapy and there is nothing wrong with them," says Dr Dandekar.

FACT There is less than one psychiatrist per 100,000 people It has to be ingrained into the minds of children that mental illnesses are real because the mind is a tangible part of our body. There is nothing wrong about having mental problems just as there is nothing wrong with common cold, says Dr Dandekar.

Occupational therapists, psychiatrists and psychologists must be available at offices and schools for ease of access and regular psychological screening and panel discussions must be conducted. "Even medical practitioners need to become more equipped to diagnose and refer depression to psychiatrists," asserts Dr Bhatawdekar. Read more here:graduation outfits

05/03/2015

High-salt diet is bad for health, say numerous studies, but a significant research now reveals that dietary salt could have a biological advantage -- defending the body against invading bacteria.

They found that a high-salt diet increased sodium accumulation in the skin of mice, thereby boosting their immune response to a skin-infecting parasite.

The findings suggest that dietary salt could have therapeutic potential to promote host defence against microbial infections.

Till now, high-salt is clearly known to be detrimental for cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

"Our study challenges this one-sided view and suggests that increasing salt accumulation at the site of infections might be an ancient strategy to ward off infections, long before antibiotics were invented," explained first study author Jonathan Jantsch, microbiologist at Universitatsklinikum Regensburg and Universitat Regensburg in Germany.

A clue to this mystery came when the team noticed an unusually high amount of sodium in the infected skin of mice that had been bitten by cage mates.

Intrigued by this observation, they examined the link between infection and salt accumulation in the skin.

The team found that infected areas in patients with bacterial skin infections also showed remarkably high salt accumulation.

Moreover, experiments in mice showed that a high-salt diet boosted the activity of immune cells called macrophages, thereby promoting the healing of feet that were infected with a protozoan parasite.

The researchers, however, urge caution over the potential health benefits of a high-salt diet.

"Due to the overwhelming clinical studies demonstrating that high dietary salt is detrimental to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, we feel that at present our data does not justify recommendations on high dietary salt in the general population," Jantsch commented.

"Nevertheless, in situations where endogenous accumulation of salt to sites of infection is insufficient, supplementation of salt might be a therapeutic option," he emphasised.

Moving forward, the researchers will examine how salt accumulates in the skin and triggers immune responses and why salt accumulates in the skin of ageing adults.

"We also think that local application of high-salt-containing wound dressings and the development of other salt-boosting antimicrobial therapies might bear therapeutic potential," the authors concluded. Read more here:cheap long prom dresses